In the manufacture of items such as counter tops, tables, desks, shelves, and other furniture items, the base material is often wood or an engineered wood product such as particle board or plywood. Such base materials provide structural integrity, but may not provide an aesthetically appealing appearance. Consequently, the outer surfaces of these items are often covered with a thin decorative laminate that is glued to the surface. It is necessary to use a rotary cutting tool, or router bit, to cut the decorative laminate to the general shape of the surface being covered.
Rotary cutting tools used for cutting thin decorative laminate are well known. U.S. Pat. No. 5,647,700 describes a router bit with a ball bearing guide for trimming the overhanging edge of a plastic laminate. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,669,923 describes a ball bearing guided router bit for trimming the overhanging edge of a plastic laminate. Although rotary cutting tools are known in the art, these tools require a high level of skill and increase the amount of time necessary to cut the laminate to the general shape of the surface being covered. Consequently, there exists a need for an improved rotary cutting tool that will reduce the level of skill and amount of time necessary to cut a shape in a workpiece.